Why is under-eating more demonized than overeating in society?

[Libra]

Speaking as someone who is underweight, I get absolutely no hate for it, despite 'praying mantis' not exactly being the go-to look for a young man. At the most I get a throwaway joke about needing to eat a burger.

Meanwhile, overweight people are constantly made to feel guilty for being overweight, even if it's because of glandular disorders. So no, undereating is not more demonised, and I'd say for women it's actively promoted by the media.

 

[Lieju]

When people see an anorexic/bulemic person they think, "oh that poor dear, look what society has done to them."

If they even realise they have a problem.
Anorectic/bulimic people who aren't so far gone they're just bones are often viewed as 'healthy' by people because the society equates thinness with health.

Meanwhile, overweight people are constantly made to feel guilty for being overweight, even if it's because of glandular disorders. So no, undereating is not more demonised, and I'd say for women it's actively promoted by the media.

And it seems to me the society's ideas of 'ideal' weight, especially for women is kinda low.

I'm normal weight, going by my body-weight-index, and yet I get called 'fat', for example by random people on the street. And not even getting to how no matter girls' weight, back in school 'fat' was the go-to insult for girls. (Other being 'slut')

 

[Elwolfman]

I know exactly what OP is getting at. The way I've seen it if you under-eat you need immediate medical attention, people will cry for you and make a big thing out of it. If you overeat then people are a lot more dismissive saying you just have a "healthy appetite" or that you're just "big boned". I think it mostly stems from back in the day when being fat was considered a sign of a rich and luxurious life style, while being skinny just showed you were poor or ill.

 

[ninjaRiv]

I see what you mean but I don't think you chose your words properly. Don't look at me, I don't know how to express it either! But fat people are more dmeonised and ridiculed than skinny people. Perhaps it's because people think "skinny=pressured by society, poor dear needs a sandwich. Fat=lazy slob, let's abuse him/her in public."

Perhaps you meant "who do people want to help and be nice to under-eaters more than over-eaters."

 

[Maevine]

Where do you live? o.0 I've literally spent my entire life being praised for under-eating. When I leave food on my plate, I'm complimented for my "self-restraint." When I was 17 lbs underweight, I had DOZENS of people ask about how I looked so good and stayed so small. I was killing myself, that's how. But this was seen as a good thing. I was told eating only one meal a day would keep me pretty.

This is the first time in my life I've been a healthy weight. I was so proud of myself (having discovered feminism shortly prior and changing my attitude about my body), the first thing I did when I saw that number on the scale was call my mother up. "Mom, guess what? I'm 117 lbs!" And you know what she said? "Ooohh, I'm so sorry, honey! Don't worry, you'll lose it. Hey, wanna come work out with me? We can watch our weights together!" As my doctor put it, 115 lbs is my minimum ideal weight. The lowest I can be at my height and body structure while also being healthy. 117 is an awesome weight for me. But I've received 4 apologies for this so far. 4 of the people in my life thought that weight was so tragic that they completely ignored my smiling face and offered to "help" me. I've also already had someone, for the first time in my life, imply I was fat. 117 and fat. Really.

Err, enough of my story though I just don't see us thinking more of lower weights than higher ones.

 

[derelict]

Think you might be looking at the wrong issue at heart, here. Y'see, me? I'm 30. Be 31 in a few months. If it took me 30 years to figure out how to eat properly, too much /or/ too little, then I'm pretty sure I'd have more serious problems than other's perceptions of me to worry about.

 

[Michaluk]

Morbidly obese people are extremely common and moderately overweight people are probably the majority now. This is met with a collective "meh" by society, even though it's a rampant problem. Being underweight, on the other hand, is cause for hospitalization and great concern.

The mistake people are making in criticising op is to compare our society's response to morbid obesity with it's response to being slightly underweight. I don't think this is a fair comparison. If someone is 20 pounds overweight it's nothing. If someone is 20 pounds underweight society says they have a serious eating disorder.

And therein lies your answer op. The reason society takes being underweight much more seriously is because it IS more serious. Some individual's "normal" weight is pretty lean. 20 pounds over won't make a big difference, but 20 pounds under could make a huge difference. And at 40 pounds over that person is just jolly and at a slightly elevated risk for developing diabetes, heart disease, etc. But at 40 pounds under that same person is probably dead.

So, op, what's being compared here? You have to compare apples to apples, so are you comparing being X pounds over with X pounds under? If so being X pounds under is a much more serious condition. Are you comparing under and over at equal increased mortality (say 20 pounds under and 100 pounds over)? Be more specific.

 

[Vivi22]

People who under-eat are considered victims of societal standards of body image and tend to be pitied.

Overweight people are considered greedy and lazy, with no self control.

Which one is more demonised again?

And the worst part is, most overweight people are the victims of decades of misinformation and bad science pushed on them by supposed "experts," and decades long efforts by packaged food companies to make food that is faster and easier to consume while also being as addictive as possible and as devoid of useful nutrition as a person could possibly find.

 

[DonTsetsi]

Where do you live? o.0 I've literally spent my entire life being praised for under-eating. When I leave food on my plate, I'm complimented for my "self-restraint." When I was 17 lbs underweight, I had DOZENS of people ask about how I looked so good and stayed so small. I was killing myself, that's how. But this was seen as a good thing. I was told eating only one meal a day would keep me pretty.

This is the first time in my life I've been a healthy weight. I was so proud of myself (having discovered feminism shortly prior and changing my attitude about my body), the first thing I did when I saw that number on the scale was call my mother up. "Mom, guess what? I'm 117 lbs!" And you know what she said? "Ooohh, I'm so sorry, honey! Don't worry, you'll lose it. Hey, wanna come work out with me? We can watch our weights together!" As my doctor put it, 115 lbs is my minimum ideal weight. The lowest I can be at my height and body structure while also being healthy. 117 is an awesome weight for me. But I've received 4 apologies for this so far. 4 of the people in my life thought that weight was so tragic that they completely ignored my smiling face and offered to "help" me. I've also already had someone, for the first time in my life, imply I was fat. 117 and fat. Really.

Err, enough of my story though I just don't see us thinking more of lower weights than higher ones.

You were 53 kilos and they were saying you were fat?!? It makes me sad that people can be so ignorant.

 

[sky14kemea]

People who under-eat are considered victims of societal standards of body image and tend to be pitied.

Overweight people are considered greedy and lazy, with no self control.

Which one is more demonised again?

Daystar, not just a comedian, but a speaker of truth.

OT: I'd be considered an under-eater, but not 'cause of self image. I just have a very small appetite and eat so slowly that it ends up going cold before I finish...

However, I've never been asked if I'm anorexic or anything, people often just go "I wish I was as skinny as you!"

Noooo, no you don't. I get lightheaded a lot.

The fact is that obesity is a lot easier to spot, which is why I think it get's demonized a lot more regularly.

 

[Thaluikhain]

People who under-eat are considered victims of societal standards of body image and tend to be pitied.

Overweight people are considered greedy and lazy, with no self control.

Which one is more demonised again?

And the worst part is, most overweight people are the victims of decades of misinformation and bad science pushed on them by supposed "experts," and decades long efforts by packaged food companies to make food that is faster and easier to consume while also being as addictive as possible and as devoid of useful nutrition as a person could possibly find.

There is that. Also, there's any number of related issues, fat people going to a doctor who assumes the problem is weight related instead of adequately diagnosing them, equipment and drugs being designed for average sized people etc.

 

[Lilani]

-snip-

I would actually argue it the other way around. I would say that overeating is demonized, and undereating is pitied. When you're obese, you become the target of mockery. Almost nobody pities you, they just think you're a greedy slob that likes to gorge yourself, and that you can stop anytime but you don't because you just love food too much. But people who are underweight get much more pity. They might get mocked, but nearly not as much. It's less "Ha ha, look at that little twig of a person" and more "Oh my god, they look like a skeleton, get them into a hospital!"

Even though the psychological fixations and compulsions that cause both of these problems are very similar, people tend to assume when you're overweight you have more control over the situation, and that there's always more you can do on your own to solve it. When you're underweight, the assumed cause is severe mental problems that you need to work through. When you're overweight, the assumed cause is that you're a terrible person and have no self-discipline.

Aaaaand I've been ninja'd by like 5 other people, lol. Ah well, it's worth saying more than once, I suppose.

 

[KOMega]

It seems for the most part a lot of other people have it the other way around from the thread's title.
So this really makes me curious where in the world is undereating "demonized"?

I can understand undereating being treated more seriously, as a health issue.
But undereating treated as some sort of social faux pas is a bit different.

 

[BarkBarker]

If you have any belief that skinny is more demonised over fat, it's probably because we are becoming more and more concerned and aware as a society that skinny people are in fact killing themselves painfully, fat has been known as bad for a VERY long time, there was a time when it was not, but we are WELL into that as a bad thing, now we have loads of people who are recognised as people who are anorexic & we now seek to prevent it from happening.

 

[tilmoph]

You're going to have to lump me in with the "what are you on about?" group. Let me put it too you this way; a fellow by the name of Daniel Callahan has called for a massive increase in shaming overweight and obese people to motivate them to lose weight. His proposals include walking up to random fat people, either individually on a person to person basis, or on billboards and other public ad spaces, and asking such questions as "Do you know how many people look down on the overweight" "You know overweight parents are more likely to have overweight kids. You know how awful kids can be to the fat kid?" and other such heartwarming expressions of concern.

Fat people are generally reminded that they are disgusting to look at. I mean, fair enough, people think fat are people are disgusting in appearance. Do we need constant reminders of that? Meanwhile, extremely skinny women and in some area men (think bishie here) are reminded how good they look.

So, no, under-eating is not more demonized than overeating. At worst, you'll get some anorexia jokes. A few jokes does not compare to constant reminders that your a horrible fatty and you should feel bad.

EDIT: I'm American. We're fat. Apparently we're rather self-hating fatties though.

 

[carpathic]

Under-eating isn't more "demonized" than overeating.

Not even fucking close.

It's so not close that I'm having trouble coming up with a sufficiently silly metaphor. Perhaps something involving fluffy bunnies and pedophiles?

Fat people are regarded and depicted as gross, revolting, unattractive, unintelligent and legitimate targets for ridicule. People who under-eat are, at the very worst, pitied as victims of body image and the media.

Zhukov, I often agree with you, here, I agree with you even more.

Gluttony is the only sin that you wear on the outside. People judge you for it harshly. Not eating is not demonized, not even close, there is some level of pity, or we are uncomfortable with it, but let us be clear, when you are fat you are demeaned, belittled, and thought less of. It seems the fatter you are, the less people think of you. Even popular shows like Duck Dynasty - Jase most often makes fun of his brother Willie's weight...

 

[Blitsie]

Out of experience as an ex-obese person, overeating is much, much more demonized than undereating. I was handled like a worthless oxygen thief by most during my fat years while anorexic people are treated with the utmost sympathy and such.

Hell apart from lots of African tribes were girls get all jelly by the knees at the sight of a fat person (because it supposedly symbolizes wealth and overall healthiness for them) I don't really know if there even exists a western society that views undereating as worse than overeating (assuming you're talking about a western society here)

 

[Elvaril]

People that are super skinny are not always pitied as an example of societal pressure making them anorexic. I do extra work on films in Atlanta and a lot of casting companies use Facebook. There was a role I was going to submit for, they needed a 5'11", 125 lbs guy and I actually weigh less than that, even though I eat a lot. There were no less than six meth jokes in the comments. Was on another set that was supposed to be a college campus, and one of the crew joked that I was the campus drug dealer.

No, I don't think it is as bad as fat shaming, but it still isn't pleasant.

 

[SacremPyrobolum]

I should think any body type beyond "average" gets demonized one way or the other these days.

And isn't that the crux of it, what the fuck is "average"?

 

[hooblabla6262]

While I don't think that being skinny is demonized more than being fat, I would argue that it is more acceptable to point out that someone is too skinny rather than point out that someone is too fat.

I used to date a girl who was told she was too skinny almost everywhere she went. She hated it, but felt that it would cause more trouble if she defended herself.
The weird part was that she was actually on the healthy side of skinny, instead of walking bones.